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New Details About ICE Agent Who Shot, Killed Renee Good; Interview with Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE): Trump Says He Canceled Second Wave of Attacks on Venezuela, Protests in Iran; Trump Orders "My Representatives" to Buy $200 Billion in Mortgage Bonds; Border Patrol Shooting of Couple Sparks Outrage in Portland. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired January 09, 2026 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Their workshops there's even one in a bathtub. I saw at least one in the bathtub, outdoor bathtub no less. The calendars are $32 with shipping and so far they have raised more than $40,000 blowing past in their initial goal of raising $10,000 and it's going to fund their snow plowing budget. Yes, seriously. I know it's amazing I know I've got an idea for CNN NEWS CENTRAL and any budget shortfall we might have.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: OK, no thank you.

BOLDUAN: No.

SIDNER: No.

BOLDUAN: No, anyone?

SIDNER: It's all you girl, it's all you.

BOLDUAN: Yes. The man manning the camera looking at me right now would be for sure the first one to do it. Michael will do it.

SIDNER: OK, he's in.

BOLDUAN: Just who you want to be, write it in your calendar.

(CROSSTALK)

SIDNER: Producers, do we have a taker? No.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And next, you know Sara would do it. You know she would. On that note, a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

SIDNER: Breaking overnight, thousands take to the streets in protest over the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. It comes as another shooting involving federal agents in Portland, Oregon is adding fuel to the tensions over President Trump's immigration crackdown. The images of protests in Portland were a Border Patrol agent shot and injured a married couple during a traffic stop. Now Homeland Security alleges that the two are linked to the

Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. This as the anger in Minneapolis over the shooting of Renee Good, a mother of three, spreads across the nation. And there is new reporting after state officials say the FBI has now blocked them from taking part in what was going to be a joint investigation. Sources tell CNN the mutual distrust led to state authorities being boxed out.

And now we've learned the ICE agent involved in that shooting was dragged and injured during a traffic stop last year as he was trying to make an arrest, according to court documents. CNN's Whitney Wild live for us in Minneapolis this morning. What are you seeing this morning? I see that you're standing in front of the memorial there on the scene.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: This memorial continues to grow, Sara, as we continue to learn more about the agent who was involved in this case. Court records show that he served in the National Guard in Iraq as a gunner from 2004 to 2005. Let's talk about this case that you had mentioned.

Last summer, he was dragged 100 yards after trying to arrest a man who was wanted for sexually assaulting a teenage relative in 2022. That case is detailed in court records in multiple testimonies that CNN has reviewed. And what it shows is that in that situation he had tried to arrest this man who again he was driving this vehicle. He would not roll down his window.

He broke open the window. Reached into the vehicle and that's when this man drove about 100 yards dragging this ICE officer causing him injuries to his right arm which required 20 stitches, a cut on his left hand required 13 stitches. In that case he testified that he had conducted hundreds of traffic stops in his time with Border Patrol and with ICE. And many times he was trying to arrest a driver who was attempting to flee.

And in his testimony, he said this. "They do erratic behaviors, they take great risks, and they seem to not be aware of other people driving on the road. They usually, they just make extreme movements with their vehicles," he said.

Sara, again, we are learning much more about this man's background, and Vice President J.D. Vance believes that his experience should inform how people view, how he may have, you know, his mindset, as he may have entered this experience, and he thinks that this is important context as Americans make their own assessments about this incident. Here's more from Vice President J.D. Vance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The president here is very simple. You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That's a federal issue. That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WILD: Experts that CNN has spoken with say that the way that J.D. Vance phrased that dramatically overstates the reality here and the reality of immunity for federal law enforcement is much more complicated. We have a deep dive on all of that, speaking with multiple different experts on CNN.com. So if our viewers are interested to learn more in the details of that, I encourage them to read that story from our Holmes Lybrand and the rest of our team, Sara.

It is a very complicated situation. Here on the ground, state officials are very upset that the federal enforcement will not allow state officials to take part in the investigation into this incident. They say they're being boxed out.

Yesterday, reporters pushed the Department of Public Safety Commissioner on if that means they cannot do their own investigation. And what the commissioner made clear, Sara, is that without the key evidence that federal law enforcement simply will not share at this point, they don't think they can do a thorough investigation -- Sara.

[08:05:00]

SIDNER: Whitney and we are just learning this has just come into us that there will be a press conference with state and local leaders in just the next few hours. And no doubt this is one of the big issues that will be discussed going forward. Whitney Wild, thank you for your great reporting out there in Minneapolis for us -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Let's jump into this joining me now. Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, top Democrat on -- a top dem on foreign relations and judiciary. I've got a million things to touch on with you, Senator. On this, what we just heard, J.D. Vance saying that this agent's protected by absolute immunity, and you have DHS boxing out the state agency that was supposed to be part of a joint investigation, blocking access to evidence, citing distrust between the agencies, if you will.

Do you think this means the investigation in Minnesota is effectively over?

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE), FOREIGN RELATIONS AND JUDICIARY COMMITTEES: I hope not. Transparency is what's important in a democracy. In order for our communities to have confidence that law enforcement is actually following the law, there needs to be a thorough and transparent investigation of this tragic incident, where, by all evidence --

BOLDUAN: Senator, do you think you're going to get one? A thorough and transparent.

COONS: -- the ICE agent did not act in a reasonable or responsible way. I'm sorry, Kate, I just wanted to get out that like millions of Americans, I was shocked to see the video of the shooting of Renee Good yesterday, a 37-year-old mother of three who had just dropped off one of her children at school. It is hard for me to square what has been said by Secretary Noem and Vice President Vance that Renee Good was a domestic terrorist, a member of a leftist organization with these facts. So if they have that evidence, they should come forward with evidence that suggests that she was intending to or attempting to harm the ICE officer.

Frankly, we need transparency, and that requires having state and local law enforcement fully participating in the investigation of this terrible incident.

BOLDUAN: Yes, and the question is, thorough and transparent, is it going to happen? And if not, that which it seems where they -- where it is right now is the investigation then over. Let me ask you about Venezuela. The president just posted that he canceled a second wave of attacks that he had planned because the acting government there is cooperating and political prisoners are being released. We have seen political prisoners being released. Are things working out better there than you -- first thought might be happening?

COONS: Well, here's what happened in the Senate yesterday, Kate. Five Republicans joined with Democrats to move forward a War Powers resolution that would constrain President Trump's ability to keep engaging in military action against Venezuela without the approval of Congress. It is a positive that political prisoners are being released. It would be a positive if Venezuela abandoned its long-close partnership with Cuba, with Russia, with Iran.

But frankly, the fact that President Trump's day is beginning with a meeting with major oil executives, rather than by talking to the opposition, pressing for free and fair elections, or the restoration of democracy, continues to reinforce that his priority in Venezuela is getting access to their oil rather than being a champion for human rights and democracy.

BOLDUAN: I want to play for you what the president, though, is now threatening in a new interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are going to start now hitting their land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It's very, very sad to watch and see what's happened to that country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Hitting the land with regard to cartels and specifically mentioning Mexico, did you hear, learn of any suggestion of plans for this in the briefings that you received this week?

COONS: Look, Mexico is an important partner and ally of the United States, as is Canada. And President Trump has threatened to attack both of them. One of the things that makes our relations with neighboring countries and longstanding partner countries difficult, frankly, is that President Trump keeps making threats to attack them in ways that don't help promote our partnership and our security. Forgive me one second. I just lost my ability to hear you. Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Oh, so can you hear me now?

COONS: I can.

BOLDUAN: OK, great. I mean, you can handle a lot, Senator. I know you -- I know you're -- I know you're poised, but this is impressive as always. With you being able to hear me, I do want to ask you, very seriously, another issue I know you've focused a ton on, which is Iran.

The protests that have been happening for two weeks now, the images coming out that we can get of the protests in Iran are startling. There's protests in every province in the country, and Iranian authorities have cut off phone service, cut off internet access.

[08:10:00]

Is this the beginning of real change, do you think? Is it too soon to say that?

COONS: It is too soon to say that, but I hope and pray that the people of Iran know that the United States encourages their desires to be rid of a theocratic and oppressive regime that, for decades, has ruthlessly suppressed any dissent, has murdered, publicly executed thousands of people who have demonstrated in previous efforts to try and overthrow the folks who lead that country. The IRGC. which is the military force that really suppresses dissent internally and has exported Iran's terrorism throughout the region, has a fairly iron grip. So the fact that millions have come out in the streets, as you said, Kate, all over the country is an encouraging sign.

I do think President Trump needs to consult with Congress before threatening that he will randomly take strikes against Iran's leadership. He seems to have suddenly found his inner nation builder as he is taking a sharp turn from how he campaigned. I'll remind you, Kate, he campaigned against starting new foreign wars.

He campaigned on lowering your costs and making America healthy again. And with the skyrocketing rates of health insurance, with his tariffs causing costs to rise. He hasn't been doing great on those two. And now he's threatening to take military action against Mexico, against Iran, against Colombia, against Greenland.

It's important for him to have clearer, more transparent explanations to the American people of how doing so is in our interest. But I'm encouraged to see the people of Iran rising up against the brutality of the regime that has repressed their desires for free expression and for free lives for decades.

BOLDUAN: One point of clarity that he has offered in this new wide- ranging New York Times interview, when asked about if there were any constraints on his power, on his power around the globe. he said, yes, one thing, my own morality, I don't need international law, is what he said, I don't want to hurt people. Should the United States get involved in Iran?

COONS: Look, the United States needs to encourage and support movements for democracy around the world. We need to support the Ukrainians who have fought so hard against Russian aggression. I'll remind you, it's the president of Ukraine who has been democratically elected, not the leader of Russia. And President Trump seems to forget that.

In the case of Iran, which has long supported Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine, I do think it's important for us to support those average citizens who are coming out into the streets seeking a freer future. But it's hard to come up with an exact pattern in which our military action might help. In many cases, military action against a dictatorship gives them the excuse for ruthless suppression of dissent internally.

And one of the delicate issues that's unfolding right now is how President Trump and his administration is handling the Maduro regime that is still in power, except for Maduro in Venezuela. There is a legitimate opposition that won the last election. And so my hope is that President Trump keeps an eye on how we deliver stability in Venezuela while supporting a transition to democracy, not focusing principally on oil, but focusing on values.

Because around the world we are respected, not because of our military might, but because of our values. And President Trump has taken us in a starkly different direction, where he's using our military might. As he said in that New York Times interview, he doesn't see any constraints from international law, only the constraints of, as he put it, his own morality. Well, Kate, this is someone who ran on draining the swamp the first time. His second time as president, he's swimming in the swamp.

He's one of the most corrupt presidents in American history. And that's not the sort of morality that I would like to be guiding the United States on the world stage.

BOLDUAN: Senator Chris Coons thank you for coming in -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we are standing by for the release of a crucial jobs report. There have been mixed signals about the direction of the economy. Could this point to a rebound? Markets basically opening flat this morning.

And a passenger forced to flee after his self-driving vehicle ends up headed right into the middle of danger.

[08:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: New this morning, President Trump says he has ordered the federal government to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds. The idea is to lower housing costs. This comes after the president said he wants to also stop big investors from buying up more single-family homes. The president says, quote, "People live in homes, not corporations."

With us now, Madison Mills, senior markets reporter for Axios, great to see you. And I'm glad you're here to explain to simpletons like me what it means that he wants the federal government, Fannie and Freddie, really, to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds, what that means and how, in theory, it's supposed to lower housing costs.

MADISON MILLS, SENIOR MARKETS REPORTER, AXIOS: OK, so keep me honest here on explaining this well, John, because this is complicated and a source I just got off the phone with said this is very much the executive branch being extremely creative with financing here. So the idea is if you take mortgage bonds out of the market that can potentially lower yields. What that means is it lowers interest rates potentially, so your mortgage could go down maybe 10 to 15 basis points. That's about .1 percent.

[08:20:00]

So obviously that's not a huge change in your mortgage rates, but any amount counts for people who are struggling with these higher interest rates as the Federal Reserve has raised rates at the fastest rate in 40 years, right? So will this actually move the needle on the feeling of affordability? That's a little bit more difficult to suss out because again, that .10 percent move in rates, that's not necessarily going to make you feel like -- that's not going to impact the price of a home.

And it's also, you know, $200 billion, there's a $9 trillion mortgage market, so it's a very, very small part of the pie. But the broader picture here is that the administration is really focused on housing affordability.

BERMAN: It is interesting because it's not like Fannie and Freddie haven't been deeper into to sort of swallowing up mortgage bonds before.

MILLS: Yes.

BERMAN: And at the time and we're talking about the, you know, the housing crisis and whatnot -- 2007-2008 -- there were sort of broad agreement that that was a bad idea.

MILLS: Yes, well, and this has happened in other countries. You can kind of compare too, right? Like you can turn the spigot on and buy up mortgages to lower rates for people, but at some that can't -- that gravy train can't last forever. And when you do turn that off, then what happens? We've seen this play out in Japan where there's been a 250 basis point rise in interest rates seemingly overnight.

So at some point there is a cost. There's no free lunch for for housing on Wall Street in the world. And so that's the challenge here. And typically this would be a decision from the Federal Reserve. This is quasi quantitative easing not to get into that. But when you're having a corporation do it on behalf the administration, you start to think about maybe the slippery slope with how they're deploying capital.

BERMAN: And of course, and again, so so trying something, anything, maybe something that the American people do want to see here. What does lower housing costs in the long term? MILLS: Well, and that's what's fascinating. Source told me this week, like they'll do anything but increase housing supply to bring down housing costs, right? And that's the thing that everyone keeps telling me over and over again would actually move the needle here. Doing anything that would increase the supply of those single family homes that are more affordable.

Something like tariffs is not going to help with that, right. That's been making it more difficult for home builders to spend money building those smaller homes. They want more bang for their bucks, so they're building more expensive homes.

Meantime, people are locked into lower mortgage rates, so they're not selling. It's kind of tackling a demand issue when really the supply is the problem, and we keep seeing the administration tackling demand. They did that with this announcement from the president this week, aiming to ban institutional investors from buying homes as well, which is only 2 percent of a very small corner of the housing market, so it's unclear whether that would move the needle either.

BERMAN: I understand better now after this talk. I understand things better now.

MILLS: I'm glad.

BERMAN: Still room for growth, I will say. Madison Mills, thank you for being here. Really appreciate it -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: So self aware John.

BERMAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Always, always room group growth. All right, we continue tracking developments out of Portland, Oregon, where two people were shot by federal agents. The shooting leading to a new wave of protests in the city. We have an update on the situation on the ground that's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Protests are erupting nationwide over the deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis, and now tensions are flaring even higher in Portland, Oregon, after a border patrol agent shot a married couple there. At least six people were arrested yesterday and overnight during protests in Portland.

And according to DHS now, the border agents there were conducting a quote unquote targeted vehicle stop of this married couple. They accused the couple of both being connected to the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, and claimed that during the stop, the driver tried to run over the agents, and that is why one of them fired a, quote, defensive shot.

No agents were injured in this but the married couple, they were both shot, one in the arm, one in the chest. Both are in the hospital, and local leaders now are demanding that ICE and other federal agents leave the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KEITH WILSON, PORTLAND OREGON: Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents. We are calling on ICE to halt all operations in Portland.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do not need you. You're not welcome, and you need to get the hell out of our community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Joining us right now is one of Portland City Council members, Candace Avalos. Thank you so much for being here this morning, waking up early to do so. Do you first and foremost know the condition of the two people who were shot? That has remains unclear ever since yesterday.

CANDACE AVALOS, PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL: Unfortunately, I also do not know the condition.

BOLDUAN: Are you learning anything more about them?

AVALOS: You know, it's been pretty under wraps. And I think also that is concerning because the federal government, as they were showing in Minneapolis, is trying to shut out any local officials from getting information. So I hope that our local police are able to get more information soon.

BOLDUAN: It's actually, then what you're hitting on is something that's quite important, especially after what we have seen happened in Minneapolis. I am very curious as to what the investigation is going to look like in Portland. Do you know who will be leading an investigation into this shooting?

AVALOS: I don't have that information right now, but from what I heard from our local police, they are trying everything they can to ask and ensure that we are able to have some kind of, say, jurisdiction. But unfortunately, the federal government supersedes us. And so if they ask us not to be involved, we legally don't have any choice.

But it is certainly our ask to ensure that we are part of the investigation.

BOLDUAN: I just want to double check with the control. I'm having a hard time hearing the councilwoman. Is it my audio or are we having an issue with her audio?